Engine-starter.



V. G. APPLE.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.11,1915.

V. G. APPLE.

ENGINE STARTER. APPLlcAloN FILED MAR. 11. 1915.

Patented July 3, 1917.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

VINCENT G. APPLE, 0F DAYTON, OHIO.

ENGINE-STARTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3,l 1917.

Application 'lled March 11, 1915. Serial No. 13,788.VA

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ViNoENT G. APPLE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Engine-Starters, ofwhich the following is a specication. My invention relates toimprovements in internal combustion engine starting apparatus. Itcomprises more particularly improvements in motor generators andtransmission gearing associated therewith for interposition between thedynamo and the shaft of an internal combustion engine.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of such acombination, wherein a large gear reduction is obtained when the dynamoacts as a motor to start the engine, and on the reversal in thedirection of drive the engine drives the dynamo as a generator at thesame speed.

Another object of my invention is the provision of such a device adaptedfor mounting at the front end of an engine and so constructed thatshould the electrical starting apparatus, for any reason, becomedisabled, a hand crank can readily be a plied to the end of the` dynamoshaft and the engine turned over by hand.

Still another object of my invention is the provision of such amechanism in which the armature shaft when rotated by hand, may beconditioned so that instead of driving 'the engine shaft through thelarge gear reduction, it drives the latter at equal speed.

Other and further' objects will become apparent to those skilled in theart from a consideration of the foll wing description and drawings,wherein:

Figure 1 is an axial sectional view of my improved apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the hne 2-2 O f Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-'3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of one of the transmission gears. Y

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a clutch ring with parts broken away.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 10 indicates the front end portionof the crank case of an internal combustion engine within which rotatesthe .engine shaft 11V supported in a bearing12 earned by the casing. Ex-

vparatus for any tending outwardly from the crank case 10, and integraltherewith, in the particular embodiment of my invention shown, is adynamo casing 13, within which rotates thearmature shaft 14concentrically positioned with respect to the engine shaft 11. The frontend of the dynamo casing 15 is removably secured to the main portion ofthe casing by means of bolts 16 and carries at its center an annularbearing 16 within which is supported the dynamo shaft. The front end ofthe armature shaft 14 is slidable within the inner raceway of theannular bearing 16 for a purpose which will be described. N ormally itis in the position shown in Fig. 1, the coil spring 17 interposedbetween the inner raceway of the bearing 16 and a pin 18 extendingthrough the outer end of the shaft 14 normally holding it at the extremeend of its movement in this direction.

A short tubular member 19 is threaded into an aperture in the end of thecasing 15 forming an end abutment for the outer raceway of bearing 16and partially inclosing the projecting end of shaft 14. A removable cap20 covers the outer end of the tube 19. This cap when removed providesan opening for the insertion of a hand crank starter, indicated indotted line at 21 for engagement with pin 18 for rotation of thearmature shaft 14 should the electrical apreason become disabled. Theinner end of the armature shaft 14,

carried in the roller bearing 22 mounted at the center of the head orbeyond the bearing in the or eccentric 24. Mounted on this eccentric orcrank 24 is a pinion 25 adapted to mesh with an internal gear 26 securedon the fordrum 28, extends form of a crank v ward end of the engineshaft 11. A roller bearing 27 is interposed between the eccentric 24 andthe wabbling pinion 25.

The pinion and the vinternal gear form the well known type of eccentricreduction gearing in which the wabbling or oscillating movement of thepinion through the instrumentality of the eccentric, the pinion beingheld from rotation, causes the rotation of the internal gear at a verylow rate of speed as compared with that of the drive shaft, the ratiodepending on the number of teeth in the two gears.

For the purpose of `holding the floating pinion from rotation when poweris to be transmitted I provide two' pawls 28 and 29 having projectingpins 30-30 upon which they are pivoted. These pins extend throughdiametrically opposite holes in the pinlon 25 and are held therein bymeans of the pin 31-31.

As shown more clearly in Fig. 2 it will be noted that the outer ends ofthese pawls project in the form of fingers 32 adapted to engage with thepockets 53 formed in the inner face of the abutment ring 34. Thisabutment ring 34 is rotatably mounted within the bored out hub 35projecting inwardly from the head T3. Rotation of this abutment ring is'normally prevented by means of a brake band 36 which encircles the sameand is held under tension by means of the spring clamp indicated ingeneral by r the numeral 37. An annular disk 38 overlies the outer endof the brake band 36 and abutment ring 34 to prevent the brake band fromslipping olf. Arcuate projections 39 spaced away from the brake bandhave the ring 38 secured thereto by the bolt 39. The lugs 40-40 of thespring clamp 37 are posiltioned between two of the projections 39 andthus hold the brake band from rotation. l Within the space occupied bythe pawls 28 and 29 in the same transverse plane is positioned a ring41, the outer surface of which is adapted to be frictionally gripped bymeans of the cam shaped inner faces 42,

' 43 of the pawls 28 and 29 when the outer weighted ends 44-44 youtwardly under centrifugal action.

As shown in Fig. 6 an annular'hub 45 extends inwardly from one end ofthe ring 41 and is provided with diametrically opposite slots 46. Theseslots are engaged normally when the .armature `is in the position shownin Fig. 1 by the pin 47 which projects transversely through an openingin the armature shaft 14.

The inner forward end of is provided with ratchet teeth 47 asillustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, so that'when the armature lshaft is movedaxially and inwardly against the spring 17 the pin 47 will disengageitself from the slots 46-46 in the ring 41 and move into j engagementwith the ratchet teeth 47 ofthe wabbling pinion.

Thevoperationof the device is as follows.

When the armature is rotated for the purpose of starting theinternalcombustion .engine the eccentric hub 24 wabbles the ex' ternallytoothed pinion 25, tending to rO. tate the same in a counter-clockwisedirection, looking at Fig. 2. Rotation of the pinion in this directionis prevented by engagement of the fingers 32--32 on the pawls 28, 29with the pockets 33 on the abutment ring 34. As a result the internallytoothed gear 26 is slowly rotated in an opposite direction as indicatedby` the arrow, thus providing initial rotation of the engine lshaftsuiiicient to cause it to take up its cycle of the pinion 25 will tendto drag the pinion around with it in the same direction, disengaging thepawls from their pockets 33. As the speed increases the weighted ends44-44 of the pawls will fly outwardly under centrifugal action, clampingthe eccentric p0rtions 42, 43 thereof against the periphery of the ring41 thus providing a direct 1 to 1' drive through the slots 46, 46, andthe pin 47 to the armature shaft. The dynamo electric machine thenserves as a generator for charging the battery, lighting the lamps, etc.

The clamp 37 is adjustable so as to provide sufficient brake frictionfor preventing rotation of the abutment ring 34 when starting the enginebut insuiiicient to hold the same should the engine back fire, thusacting as a safety device and prevent damage to any of the parts in suchevent.

I have also provided inconnection with this apparatus means for rotatingthe engine shaft from the armature shaft at an equal speed should theelectrical. apparatus become disabled and it becomes desirable to startthe engine by hand. By removing the end cap 20 the hand crank 21 may beinserted over the end of the armature shaft 14, its ratchet teethengaging with the pin 18 and by moving the same endwise against thepressure of the spring 17, the pin' 47 will disengage itself from theslots 46-46 of the friction ring and engage with the ratchet teeth 47 onthe wabbling pinion. By thus positively rotating the wabbling pinionwith the armature shaft in a cl0ck` is dragged around with the pinion atthel same speed. As soon as pressure is released from the hand crank thespring'17 automatically breaks this connection and moves the pin 47 intoengagement with the slots 46-46, restablishing the' previously describedrelationship.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

yThe combination of a driving shaft and a drivenshaft, a crank pinconthe driving shaft, an internally toothed gear secured to the drivenshaft, an externally toothed gear rotatably mounted on the crank pin, afriction wheel connected with the crank pin, a fixed member havingpockets therein, a pawl pivoted on the externally toothed gear andhaving a portion adapted to be received by the pocket in the 'fixedmember to prevent backward rotation of the externally toothed gearwhereby a rotation of the drivthe driven shaft exceeds a predeterminedIn testimony whereof I hereunto set my speed, and means for eitherrotatably conhand Yin the presence of two lsubscribing necting thedriving shaft directly to the witnesses. externally toothed gear todrive the latter VINCENT G. APPLE.

5 therefrom or for connecting the driving In the presence ofshaft to thefriction wheel to be driven H., E. Bonolm, therefrom. E. V. MARTIN.

